“It’s impossible to miss the flurry of activity and the unmistakable ‘buzz’ in the heart of the downtown Dallas Arts District, where cranes hover over the distinctive horseshoe-shaped auditorium of the new Winspear Opera House at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.”
- www.dallasopera.org

“Ben Heppner showed again why he is the reigning Wagnerian tenor of our day.”
- NY Times review of the MET’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’

David Daniels: “To say that he is the most acclaimed counter-tenor of the day, perhaps the best ever, is to understate his achievement. He is simply a great singer.”
- NY Times

The opera world’s attention will be focused this season on the Dallas Opera, where the eagerly awaited state-of-the-art new Winspear Opera House will be opening late in 2009. Great Performance Tours is pleased to announce a visit to Dallas in the early spring to attend the thrilling World Premiere performance of Jake Heggie’s widely anticipated opera Moby Dick, which will feature today’s reigning heldentenor Ben Heppner in the title role. This will mark our first return to Dallas since 2003. A second evening in Dallas will enable us to attend a concert by the superlative Dallas Symphony in their I. M. Pei – designed Meyerson Center. The conductor Claus Peter Flor will lead a program of 19th century romantic works by Dvorak, Max Bruch and César Franck.

Our choice of the deluxe and traditional Fairmont Hotel for a two-night stay reflects our enthusiasm to enjoy the remarkably centralized Dallas Arts District, where all of the city’s major cultural institutions are now within easy walking distance of the hotel. The new opera house, the symphony hall, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center have all been centered in this quarter due to unusually wise city planning with an eye to the future.

Immediately after Dallas, we will transfer by private bus to Houston for two nights at the downtown Lancaster Hotel, a short walk across the plaza to the city’s acclaimed Wortham Center. We are fortunate that our schedule enable us to include a pair of the season’s operatic highlights by the Houston Grand Opera, indisputably one of the foremost companies in the world. First will be Tchaikovsky’s passionate 19th century melodrama, The Queen of Spades (‘Pique Dame’), with a largely idiomatic Russian cast headed by tenor Vladimir Galouzine as the compulsive gambler Hermann. And our final performance will be Handel’s 17th century Baroque landmark Xerxes, being staged for the peerless American counter-tenor David Daniels, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, and the Texas-born soprano Laura Claycomb. ‘The Queen of Spades’ is the celebrated Welsh National Opera production, and the stylish staging of ‘Xerxes’ is on loan from London’s English National Opera.

Late April should be an ideal period of spring weather to explore the cultural wealth of both Dallas and Houston. We look forward to odur overdue return to Texas for a busy program of four consecutive performances of the highest quality.

DALLAS: April 29th & 30th

Accommodations for two nights at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel, a name that is synonymous with world-class hospitality in San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans and Dallas. The Fairmont is perfectly located in the Dallas Arts District within easy walking distance of the city’s leading cultural institutions and both of our performances. Dining facilities include the Pyramid Restaurant & Bar for seafood and New American cuisine, and the Lobby Lounge & Bar for convenient Southwest meals. Twenty-four hour room service and concierge service are also readily available. The Fairmont offers an Olympic-sized swimming pool on the Garden Terrace which was renovated only this spring.

HOUSTON: May 1st & 2nd

Our accommodations in Houston are for two nights at the small ‘boutique’ Lancaster Hotel. Ideally located only a short walk from our opera performances at the Wortham Center, the Lancaster is intimate and fully equipped with 24-hour room service and an inviting dining room and bar – the Bistro Lancaster. “With more employees than rooms, the Lancaster prides itself on dedicated personal service.” Access to downtown’s premiere health club and complimentary limousine service is available to other districts of the city.